770131 - Conversation B - Bhuvanesvara

Conversations by Date, 1977

His Divine Grace
A.C. Bhaktivedanta Swami Prabhupada

770131R2-BHUVANESVARA - January 31, 1977 - 13:45 Minutes

Prabhupāda: . . . subject matter.

Hari-śauri: It was that article on transcendental science.

Prabhupāda: And no irresponsible article should be published. Strictly. It is going to be future evidence. Not whimsical.

Hari-śauri: There's no reason why the BTG should be any different from any of our books.

Prabhupāda: Eh?

Hari-śauri: There's no reason why the BTG standard should be different from our books. We take your books as absolute authority.

Prabhupāda: No, it will not be.

Hari-śauri: BTG should not be any different from that.

Prabhupāda: See to that.

Satsvarūpa: Yes. (break) Mainly it's about the girls who are over ten. They were in Vṛndāvana and discussed this with Jagadīśa, but they couldn't settle up, so they wanted to know what you think. Their idea is that . . . their bee is, as of now, there is no plan for a school for the girls over ten, but just that they should return to their parents and not get any more schooling. But they're thinking that there should be, and one reason is that you said in France that the girls could learn these sixty-four arts. So they were thinking that there should be a school for girls over ten, and that it should be situated in India. One reason is that in India our teachers can take help from Indian Life Member ladies who know these arts. Our Western devotees don't know them, the cooking and painting and things like this, but the Indian women do. And also they were saying that this age is very delicate for the girls. They're starting to be attracted to boys, and India is better than being in the West, where the material attraction is very strong for the girls as well as the boys. So they're wondering whether this principle is good, that there be a school for girls over ten in India. Right now there are only twelve such girls in the movement, a dozen girls that age, just a little over ten years old. They thought that they should have just one teacher for every three girls, so they'd be closely supervised. And . . .

Prabhupāda: Every three girls?

Satsvarūpa: Should have one teacher, not just one teacher for all of them, so they get . . .

Prabhupāda: At least ten students, one teacher.

Satsvarūpa: That's to live with them and everything? They think that's a little taxing, that the girl won't get such personal supervision.

Prabhupāda: What is that personal? We had a tutorial class system.

Satsvarūpa: So it's not necessary to have it so small, classes. Gopāla Kṛṣṇa, they talked with him, and he likes the idea. He said he can give them rooms in Bombay where they could do this. They think that it's not good that the girls be in the same building as the boys, such as in Vṛndāvana, because then . . .

Prabhupāda: No, they are on the upstairs.

Satsvarūpa: Well, they were saying that what happens is, if they're both in the same building, that they get to hate each other, he said. The preaching is either the boys should avoid the girls and the girls should avoid the boys, but they get a very . . . it's better to be out of sight of each other, not even near each other. They could be in Vṛndāvana, but it'd have to be in a different building or location, they said. So maybe better Bombay.

Prabhupāda: Bombay's good. These things should be decided by the GBC.

Satsvarūpa: I mentioned that to them. They said they had been with Jagadīśa. And I said: "Well why . . .?" They said they just want to know your opinion, then they'd go and talk with him again.

Prabhupāda: My opinion is already there according to the . . . they should be chaste, faithful to husband. Little literary knowledge, they can read. That's all. Not very much.

Satsvarūpa: As for the details of where and how to do this, that should be worked out by the GBC.

Prabhupāda: Yes.

Satsvarūpa: They had another question, whether these sannyāsīs' widows, that they would like to engage them as, those who want to do it, as teachers. They think that would be a good . . .

Prabhupāda: That's nice.

Satsvarūpa: Now Yogeśvara is going to Los Angeles to produce children's books. He said that he wants the books to be first class, just like your books, with illustrations, that are appreciated everywhere. So he said a children's books illustration . . .

Prabhupāda: Yes. In Texas they also produce some books. Where are those books?

Hari-śauri: They have a sample here.

Prabhupāda: Why again?

Satsvarūpa: Who has produced some books?

Hari-śauri: I just saw this one book called The Story of Mādhavendra Purī.

Satsvarūpa: I think they want to do a better quality than that.

Prabhupāda: No, no, why better quality?

Hari-śauri: Actually this man that was here from that college the other day, he saw one of those Gurukula books and he said: "Oh, what is this?" He saw the Gopal Coloring Book. He said: "Can you give me a sample? Very nice."

Satsvarūpa: At any rate, even that one had many illustrations in it, that Mādhavendra Purī. So he was wanting to know if he could . . . in order to get all these paintings done, these so many drawings, whether he could employ some Jaipur artists that Saurabha is working with, which would be inexpensive.

Prabhupāda: Jaipur artists?

Satsvarūpa: There's some . . . just like village craftsmen and workers that Saurabha is working with in Bombay who are making the furniture and different decorations in Bombay, and he says that Saurabha also knows some men in these villages who are artists, and they work for very little, but they can make nice, authentic illustrations of all these things, whether they . . .

Prabhupāda: Hmm, that is all right. I do not know.

Satsvarūpa: And they would be carefully . . .

Prabhupāda: No, I have no knowledge about these things. What is the use of consulting me?

Satsvarūpa: Well, I think it's to consult with you on the principle that they're not devotees . . .

Prabhupāda: I know that they made some books already. Why they are being rejected? Then again you make, and again rejecting. That is unnecessary.

Satsvarūpa: I see.

Prabhupāda: They can better translate in French so many books, the husband, wife. And the children's books there are already. (break) . . . excess book has to be cancelled. They have already made.

Satsvarūpa: They have quite a number of books.

Prabhupāda: Then?

Satsvarūpa: No, I don't know what's wrong with them. They seem to be all right. But the thing is they want to make a book that will be so nice that any teacher, elementary school teacher, would say: "This is very good."

Prabhupāda: No, everything is good, and again sometimes, again improvement, again . . .

Hari-śauri: I think their idea is that if they have a good quality, then they could even be distributed to the schools.

Prabhupāda: That is to be decided by the GBC. How can I know what is good quality, bad quality? But I know there are some books made. Again you . . . (indistinct) . . . again you make another.

Satsvarūpa: In one sense, it's not so good that they come and ask these questions. Better that Jagadīśa . . .

Prabhupāda: No, no. Jagadīśa also not very intelligent. You GBC . . .

Satsvarūpa: All the GBC.

Prabhupāda: Hmm.

Satsvarūpa: Make this one of the topics for the whole GBC to discuss.

Prabhupāda: I simply know there were some books. Why they are being rejected?

Satsvarūpa: Actually, you think a better engagement for him would be that along with his wife to go back to French translation rather than so much attention on the children's books.

Prabhupāda: Yes.

Hari-śauri: That last letter that he wrote, he mentioned to you that now there are other devotees who are qualified to do the jobs that he was doing, and he wanted to get more into organizing the Gurukula there, because they need someone to organize.

Prabhupāda: That is another . . . that is all right, gurukula organize. But the former books, why they should be rejected?

Hari-śauri: Hmm. (indistinct discussion)

Devotee: One thing is, I . . . he'll have to stay there if Sadāśiva does come.

Devotee (2): Sadāśiva's going to stay here?

Satsvarūpa: Prabhupāda said he should have a room. This is the only room.

Devotee (2): Well, we can't move all of our stuff . . . (indistinct)

Hari-śauri: You have to. Prabhupāda said; you're going to do it. Prabhupāda said he should be given a room.

Satsvarūpa: Śyāmasundara's coming too.

Hari-śauri: If anybody moves out it's going to have to be you or Gaura-govinda. (end)